Full transparency, I didn't realize how big of a thing making your own sourdough was until I started on my own journey with it. I am ever thankful for all the blogs and guides created by amazing women to help me along the way.
So what did prompt me to start my sourdough journey?. My gut did. Yes, literally my gut. After having my third baby at the end of 2022 and a short breastfeeding journey due to food intolerances I found myself starting 2023 in a not so good way. I found myself bloated all the time. Bloated to the point I looked like I was in my first trimester of another pregnancy! I was frustrated to say the least. I had spent 6 months watching my diet and working out. The rest of my body was responding well, but yet I couldn't get rid of this pooch. I finally got in touch with a functional medicine group and underwent an extensive lab work up including a stool analysis. I pooped in what looked like a hot dog container and handed it to the Fedex guy (bless him) and waited as they analyzed my stool for bacterial overgrowth, yeast, H. Pylori, parasites and so much more.
The results call was an hour long and I felt like my head was going to explode but needless to say my gut was not in a good place. Both H. Pylori and candida were present. There was an imbalance to my normal gut flora and it was positive for leaky gut syndrome. They also noted that my anti-gliadin was high. Anti-gliadin is a specific marker in the stool to test for antibodies to gluten. When it comes back high it indicates a gluten intolerance. Celiac's disease is diagnosed through a blood test, which I had done previously and was negative. But they said I should start avoiding gluten and with a number that high that I probably would never be able to eat gluten products again. (Insert sad music here).
So we started meds to get rid of H. Pylori and candida and also help get back to a normal gut flora balance. I also went gluten free. It didn't happen overnight, but I did see some of my symptoms start to improve! My bloat was decreasing, I was less gassy overall and I had less stomach pains after eating. But I also found it challenging to be able enjoy meals out with my family or family get togethers. I was having to pack a lot of food with me to places I went and when you are already packing for 3 small children it became an extra stress to make sure I had food packed too.
It was in December 2023 when an Instagram reel came through talking about sourdough bread and gluten intolerance. This sent me down a rabbit hole researching benefits of sourdough and how it pertained to gluten intolerances. And so I decided to test this theory, but I wanted to make my own sourdough bread rather than buy it at the store. But as you may know to make sourdough bread you have to have a sourdough starter. It took 15 days for my starter (Cruella) to finally take off. And it took me another 3 days to actually be brave enough to try to make a loaf. But we won't go into details of the early failures with loaves...let's get to the good stuff!
The first bite of my homemade loaf was magical. Absolutely magical. I had tried many gluten free breads over the previous 6 months always to be disappointed. So when that bread hit my tastebuds I was in heaven. I devoured the slice, but limited myself to one slice to see how I would react. Guess what? Zero reaction. No gas, no bloat, no stomach pains. And in that moment I was hooked. I've continued to make sourdough loaves, sandwich bread, tortillas, bagels and cracker AND I've been able to enjoy them all with no uncomfortable side effects! And let's just say no one complains when I bring a freshly baked loaf of bread to their house to eat!
So why can I eat sourdough bread with no reaction? Well research shows that it's due to the fermentation process of making a sourdough loaf. The fermentation process allows bacteria to fully break down the carbohydrates and gluten in bread, making it easier to digest. I also think the lack of preservatives in a homemade sourdough loaf aids in digestion of the carbohydrates.
So if you are experiencing any negative side effects of bread and concerned you might be gluten intolerant I encourage you to give sourdough a try!